The experience of the SJ X2000 tilting train and its effect on the market

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1 103 The experience of the SJ X2000 tilting train and its effect on the market B-L Nelldal Centre for Research and Education in Railway Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden Abstract: X2000 is a tilting train that was introduced as a new product by the Swedish State Railways (SJ) on the 450 km line between Stockholm and Gothenburg in Travelling times have been reduced from 4 to 3 h or 25 per cent by the tilting device and increased top speed up to 200 km=h. Now rail can really compete with air. The rail market share of the rail±air market between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions increased from 42 to 57 per cent between 1990 and The success of X2000 can, in addition to the travelling times, also be explained by higher comfort, service and quality as well as by the image of X2000 as a new product. Keywords: economics, operating companies, mainline railways, passenger vehicles, speed, suspension 1 INTRODUCTION From a political decision made by Sweden in 1988, new conditions were created for the development of the railway. Society assumed the economic responsibility for infrastructure and decided to make investments based on socioeconomic calculationsðjust as the road system. Swedish State Railways (SJ) as a transport company should be managed completely on business lines and pay a trafficbased charge for the utilization of the infrastructure. Since the new SJ was formed, the service of passenger traffic has rapidly increased. The rolling stock was modernized and a new design programme was introduced. A new sleeping-car of hotel standard was put into service as well as movie cars and family cars with playing facilities. Completely new products were developed, i.e. the fast train X2000 and the regional train `the Coastal Arrow' (Kustpilen). In both cases, service and comfort for the customer are the primary concerns. Below, the X2000 development will be described in greater detail. 2 DEVELOPMENT OF THE TILTING TRAIN IN SWEDEN The development of the tilting train in Sweden began in 1968 with theoretical studies as well as experimental trials with rebuilt trains (1). It was made by cooperation between the SJ and ASEA (now called ADtranz). There had been many years The MS was received on 19 August 1997 and was accepted for publication on 23 March of trials in various conditions and severe weather and adjustments of the technique when SJ ordered the first 20 trains in The first train was delivered in 1989 and was put into service in It was a locomotive-hauled fivewagon unit train including a trailer car. Its technical name is class X2, but as a product to the customer it is called X2000. The train can use existing tracks raising speed by 25±30 per cent through curves compared with conventional trains. It should be pointed out that it is not the tilting system itself that allows higher speeds in the curves, but rather the combination of the special bogies with radially selfadjusting wheel axles which reduce the track forces and the tilting system that reduces forces on the passengers. The passenger cars are equipped with a hydraulic tilting system to improve passenger comfort in curves. In each bogie, there is a tilting mechanism containing a pendulum system and hydraulic cylinders. The maximum effective tilt is 6.58 with a maximum tilting speed of 48=s. The tilting system for the whole train is controlled by accelerometers in the leading bogie. The delivery of the trains must be regarded as a system where the original order also included necessary workshop equipment, spare parts, training, etc. Furthermore, the contractor, ADtranz, took full responsibility for contractual demands for reliability, performance as well as operational and maintenance costs according to the life cycle cost model. For example, the maximum number of stopping failures (stop on line more than 15 min) was stipulated to be less than 12 per million kilometres. The actual number is about 3 per million kilometres. As with all other trains in Sweden, X2000 is fitted with automatic train control (ATC). This safety system automatically brakes the train if the driver fails to brake when F01997 # IMechE 1998 Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 212 Part F

2 104 B-L NELLDAL approaching a stop signal or if the train speed is too high. The braking equipment consists of a regenerative brake system in the engine for speed adjustments, an air-operated disc brake system for normal braking and a magnetic track brake system for emergency braking. Furthermore, there is an antiskid device. The climatic conditions in Sweden are severe; winter can last for five months with snow and temperatures as low as 30 8C. In summer, temperatures can reach 30 8C. Therefore, the bogies and the tilting mechanism have been constructed to operate in this climate as well as the heating and air-conditioning system. The car bodies have to be designed to maintain an interior temperature of 20 8C at an exterior temperature of 40 8C at a train speed of 175 km=h. 3 INTRODUCTION OF THE X2000 TRAIN ON THE MARKET The tilting-train technology permits the trains to run 25±30 per cent faster in curves than conventional trains do. At the same time as X2000 was introduced, the top speed on the Swedish network was raised from 160 to 200 km=h. This means that the travelling time on the largest Swedish longdistance market, between Stockholm and Gothenburg, could be reduced from 4 to 3 h for the fastest train. Within these travelling times the market is very sensitive to changes. In general, the travelling time by air from door to door is approximately 3 h in Sweden, if you do not have to change planes (2). With a travelling time of 3 h you can make a 1 day business trip and come back again in the evening. This means that, if the train can reduce the travelling time towards 3 h, it will be an alternative to air travel also for 1 day trips. The airlines have generated a large market for 1 day trips where they have been market leaders until the high-speed trains were introduced. In Sweden before X2000, the average speed for longdistance trains on the main lines was 85 km=h (Fig. 1). At this speed, the train was never the fastest mode. On shorter distances, the private car was the fastest and on longer distances the airlines were the fastest. By upgrading the tracks and raising the speed the train will reach 120 km=h on average in the year 2000 (Fig. 2). On the best lines and with tilting trains it will reach 160 km=h on average. This means that the railway will be the market leader on distances up to 400 km with regard to travelling times, and also on longer distances taking into consideration comfort, frequency, price and service. Even if the travelling times are competitive with air, it is always hard to make customers change their habits. To go by air has been a kind of status symbol but to go by train has not been as glamorous. Therefore SJ has made a great effort to develop a new service concept for the passengers and to market the new product. This service concept means that SJ can offer business travellers considerably better service and comfort than the airlines. The first-class Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Travel time versus distances for competing modes in Typical long-distance travel in Sweden Travel time versus distances for competing modes in the year 2000 with upgraded tracks and tilting trains. Typical long-distance travel in Sweden passengers are offered waiting service at their seats, newspapers and access to telephone and fax facilities. In the trains there is also a bistro. The X2000 has been marketed as `faster than the train and simpler than the airplane'. There has been an ambition to market X2000 as a product in itself and not as a train in general. Market surveys (3) also show that in almost every Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 212 Part F F01997 # IMechE 1998

3 THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SJ X2000 TILTING TRAIN AND ITS EFFECT ON THE MARKET 105 respect X2000 is valued higher than or almost as high as the airlines and considerably higher than the conventional trains (Fig. 3). Customers appreciate in particular the good service and treatment that they receive from the personnel. 4 INCREASING THE MARKET SHARE FOR THE TRAIN An analysis has been made between the development of the market shares by rail and air between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions in the years 1980±1996 (4, 5). The development of the total market has also been estimated. In the 1980s, the railway continuously lost market share to airplanes. The railway's market share of the rail±air market is calculated to have decreased from 67 per cent in 1980 to 42 per cent in 1990 (Fig. 4). The supply of rail was not improved to a large extent. At the same time, the airplane supply was improved and its market share increased from 33 to 58 per cent. In March 1991, the first regular X2000 service started and since then the traffic has gradually been improved by more departures and shorter travelling times (Fig. 5). The rail±air market share increased from 42 per cent in 1990 to 57 per cent in 1996 and in the same period the airplane market share decreased from 58 to 43 per cent. In 1996, two-thirds of train passengers went by X2000 and one-third by ordinary InterCity trains. Calculations have been made of the total demand between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions by available statistics. Statistics for private cars and coaches are Fig. 3 Business customers' assessment of X2000. Result of a survey made in 1994 by SIFO for the SJ. Measure of marks on a scale 1±5 Fig. 4 Trends in rail±air market share 1980±96 between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions F01997 # IMechE 1998 Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 212 Part F

4 106 B-L NELLDAL Fig. 7 Development of the total market between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions in 1980±96 Fig. 5 Travelling time by rail between Stockholm and Gothenburg 1991±6 intermittent and the development has been calculated by general trends (6, 7). The result is that there was an increase in the total demand from approximately 2.8 to 4.0 million journeys from 1980 to 1990, resulting in a 43 per cent increase or in an average of 3.7 per cent per year (Fig. 6). The largest part of the increase is derived from airline traffic (3, 8) but also to some extent from the private car while the train was at an approximately constant level (Fig. 7). The development in the 1990s has so far been the opposite. The total demand has decreased, and up to 1996 it has reached almost the same level as in This decrease is due to the general economic development in Sweden which has been negative or weak concerning private Fig. 6 Number of journeys by different modes between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions in 1980±96 consumption in combination with the general travel tax. However, in this period the train has expanded, the airplane has decreased and the private car has been approximately constant. It is also remarkable that the market share of the private car is far smaller in between these regions with good supply of public transport: about 40 per cent compared with 75 per cent in general for long-distance trips. The situation in the 1990s, however, has also been influenced by other factors. The most important is the above-mentioned general travel tax and the deregulation of the airlines. A general travel tax of 25 per cent was introduced in 1991 on both rail and air services. The consequence of this was a general decrease in demand for both rail and air transportation; the airlines were also affected by the Kuwait crisis. Later the general travel tax was reduced to 12 per cent, a value which still applies, and the general decrease in the market ceased in In 1993, a new airline was opened between Stockholm and Gothenburg as a consequence of the deregulation of the airlines in Sweden. This airline terminated at the airport of Bromma in the Stockholm area which is situated nearer the city of Stockholm than Arlanda. The introduction of the new airline at first seems to have stopped the railway's increase in market share, but after the introduction the railway continued to expand. Instead, the new airline has taken market shares from other airlines and airports. Market surveys show that X2000 has won many new customers to the train; six out of ten business travellers come from the airlines (3). As a consequence of the general downturn in development, all long-distance travel by rail and air decreased between 1990 and The decrease was, however, larger for the airlines with 23 per cent in passenger kilometres in general and somewhat more for traffic between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions. For rail travel between the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions, there was an increase of 25 per cent, but for all other long-distance rail travel there was a general decrease of 11 per cent. Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 212 Part F F01997 # IMechE 1998

5 F01997 # IMechE 1998 Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 212 Part F Fig. 8 Development of the X2000 train concept: implemented plans and future plans THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SJ X2000 TILTING TRAIN AND ITS EFFECT ON THE MARKET 107

6 108 B-L NELLDAL Compared with the general decrease on lines with conventional trains there has been a real increase of about 40 per cent between Stockholm and Gothenburg (125=89) which can only be explained by the introduction of X2000. As a conclusion, the success of X2000 between Stockholm and Gothenburg is mainly due to the following factors: (a) reduction in the travelling times by 25 per cent due to the tilting device and increased top speed; (b) more departures; (c) higher comfort, service and quality; (d) a better image: X2000 as a new product. 5 FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TILTING- TRAIN CONCEPT IN SWEDEN During the introduction phase, the offer has mainly been directed at the requirements of business travellers but, from 1996, X2000 has increasingly been adjusted to the requirements of private passengers. This also means that the number of departures has increased, which will benefit both business travellers and private passengers. X2000 will replace the InterCity trains on the main lines and will take a larger part of the basic traffic on long distances. The initial order for 20 five-wagon trains has been followed by an order for 14 three-wagon units for Inter- Regio trains which were delivered in 1994±5. To raise capacity, the first five-wagon trains have been expanded to six-wagon units with a total capacity of 320 seats (Fig. 8). Also the three-wagon units are going to be expanded to four-wagon trains because of increasing demand. The SJ has also ordered seven four-wagon trains to be put into service on some new lines in Including some reserve units, the SJ will in 1997 have 43 tilting X2000 trains in service. The experience of these trains in daily service, some of them for 6 years, is so far very positive, even under difficult conditions. The X2000 train has been tested at 275 km=h, still with low track forces and high comfort. The SJ is planning to increase the speed to 220 km=h and it will be possible to upgrade the X2000 trains to 250 km=h. In the year 2000, the permanent connection over the Sound between Sweden and Denmark should be ready. For this, a dual-electric-system train will be necessary and the first unit has already been ordered. The SJ is also planning to acquire smaller tilting EMU (electric multiple unit) trains for regional traffic. With the fixed link over the Sound, completely new train systems can be built up. With the X2000 trains the first EuroCity Express connections to Copenhagen and the Continent will be created. A new hotel train system might be developed for the continental traffic. To make night trains more efficient and profitable, it is necessary to build flexible trains which can be converted from sleeping trains to day trains. The Swedish parliament has agreed to an extensive investment programme for the railway network amounting to 40 billion SEK 1994±2003 which is proposed to be prolonged to the year 2007 at almost the same yearly level. This means that the SJ will have access to a partly new track network in the future. New tracks will be constructed for conventional trains with a speed of at least 200 km=h. This means that tilting trains can use them at 250 km=h or more. 6 CONCLUSIONS Tilting trains are already more common around the world. They are used to raise speed not only on old tracks but also in combinations of high-speed network and conventional lines. Tilting trains are used to reduce costs for building new lines as well as to raise speed even more on existing high-speed lines. Tilting trains will probably not be so exclusive in the future; a tilting device on a train will be as ABS (advanced braking system) brakes on a car. In Sweden, our experience of tilting trains, both from operation and from the market, is very satisfactory. It is evident that the railway is the means of transport that has the largest development potential. It can be made faster and more comfortable with better service and it is the means of transport that is most environment friendly. The railways can become the market leader in the future and attain profitability from the viewpoint of both business as well as national economics. REFERENCES 1 The Development of High Speed Tilting Trains in Sweden, SJ Headquarters, Stockholm, Nelldal, B.-L. TaÊgtrafikens moèjligheter paê den framtida resemarknaden. Report 96/11, Royal Institute of Technology, Traffic and Transport Planning, SIFO Market Surveys for SJ, Swedish Airport Administration (Luftfartsverket) Statistics for travel between Arlanda/Bromma and Landvetter/TrollhaÈttan/ JoÈnkoÈping excluding share of transfers, 1980±96. 5 SJ Statistics, ticket sales and booked places between Stockholm/Uppsala/Sthlm Syd/SoÈdertaÈlje and Gothenburg/AlingsaÊs/ Herrljunga, 1980±96. 6 Statistics from a national travel survey by Statistics Sweden in 1978, 1984 and 1995, evaluated by Swedish Institute for Communication Analyses (SIKA), in Wajsman, J. Statistics of passenger-mileage for privatecars from Swedish Board of Transport for 1980±9, completed on 1990±6 (SJ). 8 EngstroÈm, M. Flyg och snabbtaêg i trafiksystem. Swedish Transport and Communications Research Board (KFB) Report 1997:10, Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 212 Part F F01997 # IMechE 1998